Going South
by Yosk
Summary: After Takanuva left the Toa Empire Universe and defeated Tuyet, he didn't consider what would happen to that world. It plunged into chaos. Toa, Makuta, Dark Hunters - all are enemies in the faces of the Matoran, who must fight for their lives every day. A small group of Matoran decides to flee the chaos by seeking refuge somewhere south. But the borders aren't open yet.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

 _Kazi_

Kazi spat on the hard flooring of the Onu-Metru archive, where he was currently seeking refuge. The unpleasant sound echoed through the whole tunnel, resonating through the dusty piles of old Kanohi and rusty weapons. He chose that part of the archives as its primary function was a warehouse. No, a dump would be more appropriate. All equipment located there had been long since used and it wasn't of any value for the Toa Empire. Or the Rebels. Nobody cared about anything in that vault. Including them.

Kazi glanced at his friends scattered around in the darkness. He barely recognised them, as they decided to hide in the shadows just in case somebody came looking. Kazi himself occupied a ledge in the back of the archive, next to a pile of useless Kanoka. Thinking about it, he would be the first to get caught if anybody came down here. Even though the vault was practically abandoned, it was still highly possible. He pondered this and jumped off the ledge, crouching behind a decapitated Archives Mole.

A soft, weeping sound suddenly cut through the silence, making Kazi jerk uneasily. It was Nime, a small and sensitive Ce-Matoran, rebuilt weaker after being sent to Karzahni long time ago, before Karzahni was captured and his island got overrun by Rahi. Although he wasn't very captured at the moment, Kazi smirked.

Naturally, he had nothing against Nime. She was a good companion, sympathetic and patient. She was even mysterious in her own way, not that Kazi would care about mysteries. He knew damn well what Nime had to go through – he had walked the same road. Only if she were quieter, that would be practical.

Yes, practical. That was the one thing that kept Kazi alive. He had been against the Toa Empire a month ago and still was now, but he always knew what would happen if a rebel group managed to overthrow Tuyet. Chaos. When hell broke out, Kazi didn't bat an eye, just gathered some resources in a bag he had bought in Ga-Metru and raced to the archives. _Well, not exactly,_ Kazi admitted to himself. It was a few days after hell broke out. The others found him along his way to the archives, and decided Kazi was the right kind of person to hand their destiny over to.

It was even funny, in a cruel way. For the first time in his life, Kazi lead something. Back in Metru Nui, before his heartlight broke and he was sent to Karzahni, he had been an Assigner. It wasn't a bad job – Scholars came to him and he decided in which Knowledge Tower would they be studying in. So he met a lot of Matoran, but he didn't get a chance to decide for himself. His destiny had never been in his hands.

A nudge in the elbow woke Kazi from his musings.

"She sleeps. And when she sleeps we need to watch over her, as she does not watch over us."

Kapura was right of course. Kazi had no idea how had he managed to sneak across the vault without him noticing, but he was getting used to it. Nevertheless, Kapura's concern puzzled him.

"I know. That's good. I'll be watching – not that I can sleep anyway."

Kapura nodded. "Do not sleep."

Kazi's second accomplice lived in a world of his own. Kapura's quirky personality was a change compared to the rest of his rag-tag team, and he didn't speak much – not by himself that is. Kapura was always aloof, scurrying either ahead or behind of the team, occasionally discovering corpses of Toa or Rahi. But he didn't burden Kazi, far from that. He was independent, even reliable in a strange way. If he refrained from speaking in riddles, Kazi would have nothing to complain about.

The archive hosted two more Matoran, speaking of those alive, of course. The first one was Taipu, a strong and cheerful Onu-Matoran that helped them open this vault. Taipu was now trembling in a corner, trying his best to fall asleep. He had been hoping for a better world to live in, one without the constant fear of being trampled by Toa. But his dreams were crushed when he witnessed the results of the revolution. He was in a poor state, but Kazi thought he would get over it. Everybody does, after all.

The last member of Kazi's team was staring at the dead body of a Po-Matoran lying on the archive floor. Vanak, a Fe-Matoran wielding a Great Huna, didn't tell the others anything about himself. He had a harsh personality and spoke without feelings or regret. But Kazi understood this. However unpleasant Vanak's personality was, it was close to that of Kazi's. The two had no trouble getting along.

A Po-Matoran got injured during the escape to this archive and bled out later inside. Nime tried to save him, but she had little healing skills and her attempts went in vain. That was the reason why she had been crying.

His name was Onewa.

Vanak stood up and grimaced at Kazi, ignoring the others in the vault.

"We are gonna leave him here? Not clever at all."

Kazi waited for a moment, wondering whether someone else would like to answer. Not surprisingly, Taipu stayed silent, Nime slept and Kapura decided not to participate in this.

"Of course not," Kazi replied, his voice sounding strangled, "If anything, he deserves a proper burial. We cannot leave him here to rot. I'd clear the end of the archive, dig up a hole and use the rubble to cover his body. It's the least we can do for him."

Taipu's eyes watered. Kapura blinked slowly.

"Sure," Vanak affirmed.

To Kazi's surprise, Taipu went first. He grabbed a digging tool from a shelf on his right and marched swiftly to the end of the vault. The ground cracked under his labour, revealing strange, black, metallic soil under the concrete flooring.

The grave was dug peculiarly quickly and had neatly crafted round corners thanks to Kapura's efforts. Vanak used old Kanohi to get rid of the soil fairly quickly. With combined efforts, Kazi and Kapura carried Onewa into his grave, crossing his hands across his chest. They covered it in no time.

Nobody said anything, not during the burial, not during the rest of the night. All four of them crawled back into their uncomfortable hiding places. Yet they were glad for the little protection Archive O37-C provided.

Kazi eventually drifted off to sleep, desperately trying to think of a plan not leading to their doom. But there was some hope. There was some hope.

He woke up to a soft, irregular knocking coming from the entrance to the archive. Kazi got up, treading softly across the vault. It was probably morning already, but they couldn't know. A few lightstones flickered the same way they did the other day.

It turned out the knocking sound was Vanak.

He acknowledged Kazi's presence with a short nod while tinkering with a Proto Piton he salvaged earlier. It had been broken and thus had been thrown away.

"So, how was the night? Anything happened?" Kazi asked, trying to strike up a conversation. He was already sick of silence.

"Nah," Vanak grunted dismissively. "I didn't sleep. There was a guard here a few hours ago, said he was looking for you."

"Yeah, sure." Kazi looked around the tunnel behind the vault's entrance. It looked exactly the same as before, which was a testimony more reliable than what the Fe-Matoran said. Kazi knew already he should keep him around, but not trust him.

"Any luck with the Piton?

"You bet," Vanak looked at Kazi for the first time, but his expression remained unchanged. "Give me an hour. Just one thing – it ain't very sharp, we'll have to go for the soft bits."

"Well, it's your anyway. I don't care how you use it, once you get the work done."

Kazi was a little proud of himself. He didn't like leading people, but once he had this role, he decided to make the most of it. Besides, why should he mess with Vanak? He'd probably earn more respect with this behaviour anyway.

He woke up the others, prepared to have a long conversation over their future.

"Yay! What a great idea!" Taipu exclaimed, as his eyes lit brightly up and pumped his fist in the air.

Honestly, that was nothing like the reaction Kazi expected.

"So, you agree then?" He looked almost puzzled. "Nobody scared that we're going to die?"

Kapura looked up: "Why be scared here when we can go be scared somewhere else?"

Nime nodded and smiled. She was the first person Kazi saw smiling in the last three days, which made him believe that his risky plan was not just worth a shot – it was even good.

It wasn't even that difficult. For starters, they had to get out of Metru Nui. Fast. This could be the hardest part. Metru Nui was heavily patrolled by Kralhi, once known as Nuparu's Folly, today known as Nuparu's Demons. They did more than a good job law enforcing – crime was a thing of the past little after Tuyet decided Nuparu was a genius and gave him huge assembly lines. One could even say there was more of them than Matoran. Tuyet didn't care that Kralhi harmed Matoran and Nuparu remained loyal to the Empire.

The whole city was surrounded by a massive dome as far as the eye could see, even when looking up. And even if you could reach it, nobody was sure how to penetrate it. Toa knew the way, Matoran didn't.

But luckily for Kazi, some Matoran were cunning enough to find a way out. A group of skilled navigators and mapmakers formed a small company in Po-Metru called the Matoran Refuge, hiding themselves in one of the Assembler's Villages. They knew the location of the gate, even borrowed boats and gave helpful maps for survival outside Metru Nui. It didn't come off cheap, but Kazi had that covered. Plus, he had a good friend there.

So the first step was to get to Po-Metru and to find the Matoran Refuge without getting impaled or blown up by Toa, Kralhi or other bizarre beings that were now running all over Metru Nui. Nime told them earlier that Po-Metru was already terrorized by Charger and Devastator, so Kazi had a lot to look forward to.

After fleeing Metru Nui they would race somewhere south, probably to the South Continent or the island of Visorak, as the whole horde had been wiped out by Toa Tuyet. If they left early enough, they might arrive before rogue Toa and Dark Hunters reached the rest of the Matoran Universe. If not, well, they would have to fight a little bit.

Kazi decided to ask once more.

"Nobody has any concerns? Comments? Agree with the island of Visorak?"

The team nodded in unison.

"Alright then. We set off in ten minutes."

They tiptoed through out of the vault, into a tunnel that connected to Rahi Archive number 7. Although it might seem a bit dangerous, most of the Rahi had already escaped or killed off for sport. The archive wasn't very frequented, so it seemed like a good idea to escape that way.

The tunnel was monotonous and dimly lit and didn't correspond at all to the small freshness the Matoran were feeling after their rest.

A painting of a Kraata on the wall disturbed their comfort.

"White paint. How did they get this here?" Taipu asked, tapping the picture with his hand.

"It goes off in Ga-Metru for six widgets. Besides, tracking down the culprit's pretty easy," replied Vanak. "This kind of stuff is all over the place. Some Matoran were disgusted by the Toa Empire so much that they are now calling the Makuta to wipe the Toa out. It's still not certain what exactly the Makutas' plan is, but it sure ain't another Toa Empire."

Nime doubted it. "Seriously? That's like going to a pool of lava to protect you from hail. Who would do this?"

Vanak smiled. "You won't believe this, but the movement started in Ko-Metru." He looked at Kazi, who said nothing. "But to be fair, now it's made up mostly of Ta-Matoran."

"They're insane!" yelled Nime in disbelief.

"Everybody is," replied Vanak nonchalantly. "Sometimes it's a good thing. Besides, that's not the craziest movement Metru Nui has seen these days."

The have already missed the drawing by miles, but it was still in their heads when Taipu said:

"So we have a chance of bumping into mad, Makuta-worshipping Matoran?"

He looked at Vanak, who confirmed his fear by a nod accompanied with a sardonic grin. Then he looked away, not doing anything to reassure the poor Onu-Matoran miner. Nime took the honor.

"Don't worry, Taipu. We've already got past some crazy Matoran. They're just insane, not powerful. I bet they're a sad excuse of a Matoran, if they view the Makuta as their redemption."

"That's true," added suddenly Kazi, "making graffiti in abandoned archives makes it look more like a strange social reform group than a gang of criminals. We'd take them out any day."

Vanak pulled out his Piton to demonstrate and support Kazi's words, crushing a discarded Toa statue lying in the archive.

"Hey, I wrecked your memorial, Toa Iruini. Sorry not sorry."

They scuttered onwards, zigzagging through the narrow tunnels of the Great Archive. The place reeked of waste, because apparently the waste pipes had been damaged by the escaped Rahi. Although they were nearing the Rahi Archives, Rahi were nowhere to be found. Nobody minded though.

"Why the Rahi Archive, Kazi?" asked Taipu when recognizable signs started showing along the tunnel.

"The elevator." Kazi said simply. "There's an elevator at the end of the vault, probably for quick escapes if Rahi went wild. And coincidentally, it emerges at the very border with Po-Metru."

"How far is it to the end of this walking?" Kapura made the others notice him after all this time. In the eyes of others, this even enhanced his mysteriousness levels.

"Not that far. We have an hour to go." Kazi figured. "In fact, now is a good time to make a small break."

"Nice!" shouted Taipu, yanking a huge rock from the wall and placing it in the middle of the tunnel.

"Here – a rock to sit on."

Nime and Kapura gladly welcomed Taipu's efforts; Kazi leaned against the tunnel wall. Vanak eyed the rock before saying:

"A good piece of barricade."

Kapura nodded. "If you were to move this, you could block off the entire shaft by moving the boulder a few bio left. After we get off, of course."

Taipu looked questioningly at Kazi, then repositioned the rock with Kazi's confirmation. The tunnel was sealed from all possible followers or attackers. They couldn't return, but they weren't planning to.

Vanak reached out to a small bag he had been carrying with him. It was strapped neatly to his side, hardly noticeable until one looked really close. He unzipped the pouch, pulling out a small bundle of plants and a heat stone. He looked around, instinctively.

"Want some?"

"What is that?" Nime asked, not recognizing the plant Vanak rolled into a cylinder, covering it with soft paper to hold the shape.

He smiled, igniting the cigar and inhaling a gust of the thick, black smoke the cigar made. He breathed out, closing his eyes in a pretentious manner. He emerged out of his smoke cloud seeming happier than before.

"What? Oh, this…. Never heard of Daxia Oil Leaves? There's trees there that got leaves with lots of oil. It's useless and pretty annoying by itself, but when harvested and dried, it can be rolled and smoked – like this. It's really a Fe-Matoran thing. But I like it, it's relaxing. Ya want some?"

Kapura politely declined, Taipu didn't reply. To everyone's surprise, Nime reached out for some. She lit the roll, inhaling the smoke less confidently than Vanak, but correctly.

"Good job, girl. See, it ain't that bad, just sort of expensive." He looked at Kazi. "And ya? Want some?"

"No, thanks," Kazi said back, looking a bit concerned, but not in disapproval. "I've got to keep a clear head. We've got a Rahi archive ahead, after all."

Vanak nodded: "Sure thing."

"So, where do you get this stuff?" Nime asked, breathing out heavy black smoke and looking a little dazed. "I've never seen it at trading posts, but that's understandable."

"Yeah, 'twas illegal under the Toa Empire, had to get it in the south of Le-Metru. Barges of Fa-Matoran smugglers sailed there trading goods from Daxia and Nynrah, using a route only known to them."

"Could we have used them in this plan?" Kazi asked, bewildered by the knowledge of drug smugglers entering Metru-Nui without anyone knowing.

"If you were willing to sell the Mask of Life to them, maybe!" Vanak laughed. "The whole thing is so expensive that if you wanted to make them bring along five Matoran, you'd have to give them the whole of Metru Nui. This packet I have here," he tapped the pouch that kept his Oil Leaves, "cost me six hundred widgets. And I bought it off cheap."

"So you're practically a millionaire." Taipu added.

"No, not really. I sold them some stuff I scavenged, made a good deal and got this as a result. But it's this expensive only on Metru Nui. Trust me, there's no problem finding it on other islands. The Matoran of Daxia get it nearly for free."

"There's Matoran on Daxia?"

"Oh, sure. Fa-Matoran allied with Su-Matoran when Tuyet took over and moved to Daxia. There was no Toa to boss them around, no Makuta to cause trouble. Some other beings made a fortress there, too, but they didn't bother them and the Matoran did the same."

Vanak's voice sounded slightly softer when intoxicated, Kazi noticed. He didn't mind, it was a welcomed change to see him more open. He ordered them to get moving, so they were finishing their conversation and their cigarettes along the way. The route had been fine so far, his team looked good. Vanak and Nime smoking happily, Taipu hooked on every Vanak's word and Kapura looking at his hands for some reason. But he knew it hadn't really begun yet.

"So, are we going there?" Taipu asked again enthusiastically.

"Where? Daxia? Sure, why not?" Vanak looked at Kazi before he made the promise, but Kazi didn't reply back. "We're going to the Southern Continent, right? So, that's close. Ya want this, or?"

Taipu shook his head. "No, but I want to see an island with oil trees. And free Matoran. That is something I haven't seen for a long time."

Vanak slowly realized the sincerity of that statement and didn't reply back. Taipu started humming as they finally reached the door of Rahi Archive 7. Kazi smashed the security system and the door swiftly opened.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

 _Taipu_

Unlike the other members of his team, Taipu didn't rely on his mind. Sure, he was thinking a lot. Everybody had to do a lot of thinking, these were strange times. But when problems came, Taipu didn't stop and think about it, didn't analyse the cause and effects of the problem and didn't come up with a clever resolution. Taipu acted immediately; he used his heart and his instincts for survival.

So no wonder he came running through the door as soon as it opened and hid behind a black crate with Rahi feed. The others stood in the door, wide-eyed, with their mouths open, as nothing could have prepared them for the sight inside.

All across the vault, at least a dozen Furnace Salamanders were climbing and lashing at the concrete ceiling. They moved quickly and vociferously, shrieking as they bumped into each other in panic. It was blatantly obvious – they wanted out. That would just mean a small risk for the Matoran team by itself, but what puzzled them most was what sat on the backs of the Salamanders.

On each sat one or two Matoran, in masks painted with red and white symbols. They clutched on to the backs of the Salamanders, but they seemed to actually know what they are doing. They had built improvised saddles which they had mounted on the Salamanders, some saddles better crafted than others. Some of these Matoran had even whips, which bewildered the Salamanders even more – yes, it was cruel of them. But to Taipu, these Matoran looked insane. Their arms were strapped with various trinkets, from shells to coloured gems; their legs had wooden boards attached to grip the Rahi's middle easily.

Even though they were covered with red paint, they were not Ta-Matoran. None of them. The squadron was made up of mainly Po- and Le-Matoran, with at least four Ga-Matoran, three Vo-Matoran, two De-Matoran and a few more Matoran Taipu didn't recognize.

Taipu was scared already, even though nobody could see him at his hiding place. But he couldn't hear the plan Kazi muttered under breath. So Taipu came up with his own – sneak around the insane Matoran and follow the direction his friends were going.

Taipu went on to execute his plan. He crawled behind dark grey canisters of unknown purpose, avoiding a Salamander that swooped overhead. He threw himself to the wall, finding a small crack in which he hid. Nobody could find him there – his black armour camouflaged him perfectly in the pitch blackness of the interstice.

So he was watching when the Matoran attacked.

It came from an athletic Po-Matoran in the middle of the vault, perhaps he was their leader. He had spotted Kapura, but didn't show his discovery until he got closer to the team. He gave a high-pitched shriek, and yelled something the others didn't understand.

"Did they already invent their own language?" thought Taipu to himself in his small hideout. "Or did they already become savages?"

Maybe it was something between the two, he decided, as the leader approached his friends. Kapura made two steps left; Kazi stepped forth. Vanak jumped on a container, readying his Piton and grinning devilishly at the mad Matoran. Nime was still holding to her cigar, looking grave, turning around and searching for something. Taipu knew it was him, and he would have made a sign, if it was safe. But for the time being, he decided to play it safe; after all, it was him who had the element of surprise.

The Matoran leader charged towards Kazi, but Kazi struck a wild pose, taking two rocks and throwing them in the air. This proved effective – it startled the Salamander who came to a halt.

"Good afternoon, fellow Matoran," declared Kazi loud and clearly, not losing sight of the Po-Matoran leader. "Don't panic, we are just passing through."

Kazi caught both rocks and placed them on the ground before him. The Matoran managed to calm down their Salamanders, as everybody's attention was focusing on Kazi. And for Taipu, this was an opportunity to move a little forward. He saw a bundle of cables ahead.

"The name's Kazi," he announced while cocking his head up. The Po-Matoran made no attempt to introduce himself.

"And your name, can I ask? It's just a trivial question, you know."

Taipu wondered if the Po-Matoran leader was angered by Kazi's jab at his authority. But he had no opportunity to look back, so he made his way through the black cable. He improvised and tied a loop of the cable around a Salamander's leg.

"Kamen." He spat out the word, anger starting to appear on his brown Noble Mahiki. The line that went over his chin trembled and his leg was starting to get restless. _So Kazi did anger him,_ Taipu thought, already a few feet ahead.

"Great. So, Kamen, it's simple," Kazi clasped his hands, "we want nothing of you, just to pass through this vault. It's all yours – we know nothing of you and your friends." He looked up, wondering how the Matoran responded. They kept staring quietly, and Taipu suddenly realized why they looked so mad – they were mad.

Kamen licked his lips and started speaking, quietly but with a heavy accent. "How dare you. You have found our people. You have found our purpose. We try to be free. Why chase us? Why invade? And you force your words on us. Don't you see that is why we are here?"

Kamen was panting, out of breath. He wasn't used to speaking anymore.

"Salamanders help us. Now we need to get out. Out! But intruders like you stop us! Us!

Kamen spoke no more and swung his Salamander at Kazi, reading a Kanoka launcher that had been strapped to the saddle. Kazi ducked.

Taipu reached the corner of the room, seeing the elevator they craved in a distance. It was possible to reach, but far away. And it was blocked by Salamanders. So Taipu made himself a camouflage from two crates, sliding besides the wall, going unnoticed to the elevator. He was slowly assembling a plan how would his surprise attack save the others. And he had a frontal view of the battle.

When Kamen came charging on Kazi, Vanak shot his Proto Piton, aiming at Kamen's Salamander. The projectile locked into the Salamander's shoulder, throwing Vanak off just in time to dodge Kamen's attack. He flew through the air, managing to kick a small Salamander belonging to a Ga-Matoran pair. They angrily slashed the empty air behind Vanak, nearly stomping on Kapura, who was scurrying across the vault, heading towards the cable storage. He dodged an angry Salamander with a Fa-Matoran on his back, which crashed in the wall disoriented.

But by that time, Vanak was already on Kamen's Rahi, gripping its tail and trying to climb up to the spine. The Proto Piton was in his way, so he passed it down to Kazi. Kazi acknowledged this with a stern nod.

But Kamen didn't want to give up that easily. He jabbed his Salamander in the gut, setting the reptile in frenzy. Both Matoran had trouble to keep their hold on, but Kamen was not done yet. He rose up from the saddle, took a wooden board and went to knock Vanak off the Salamander. Vanak replied by attack, throwing himself at the insane Matoran, taking the board from his hand. Kamen threw them both off.

Taipu lost track of the battle pretty soon, as his friends had to avoid more insane Matoran jumping off their mounts and willing to strangle them with their bare hands. He was still unsure about when to appear, so he observed the Salamanders closely, if they had a weakness or not.

Nime spent her time fighting a Le-Matoran with a broken Pakari, exchanging fist blows. But she was losing, as the Le-Matoran kept attacking her quicker and quicker. Nime had to break her way through his attack, so she picked up a broken Disk Launcher that had been lying on the floor and threw it at him. She smashed his mask, sending pieces of the Kanohi flying across the battlefield. He fell in surprise and agony, but couldn't stop her running away.

Kazi was even more successful. He injured two Salamanders with the Piton, knocking their riders off. Now the Salamanders caused even more chaos, trampling their riders instead of the intruders. This gave Kazi the opportunity to smash his way out through the vault, being the first one to reach the elevator. But the others were not so lucky.

Kapura made himself a lasso out of cable, trying to catch some of the Rahi. In the end, he did entangle a Salamander's head in his cable, making him stumble upon the archive floor. But Kapura lost his balance and was grounded by a flying Le-Matoran. Kapura couldn't expect the ambush, thus his defence was that of a poor kind. To top it all off, the attacker started screaming in his ear.

Vanak was no better off than Kapura. He, too, was locked in a fight with an insane Matoran, but Kamen was much stronger. They were already on the hard ground, dodging the destructive feet of Kamen's Salamander. To make it harder, Kamen was not alone. Another coloured Po-Matoran came to help him, and even Vanak's fighting tactics could not withstand this.

"Under?" Kamen suddenly shouted, as he hit Vanak's head on the archive flooring.

"Under what? Under a grave, that's what ya gonna end up after I finish ya."

"Under-stand?"

Vanak didn't really have the time to answer, as the Po-Matoran started choking him from behind. His vision was getting blurry and a strangely sour taste got into his mouth. He gradually stopped kicking.

Then his attacker got crushed by a massive Salamander.

Vanak leaped out, taking advantage of the surprise attack and rolled over Kamen. He hit his face with all of his force, knocking Kamen finally unconscious. He took his mask off, to weaken him, and looked up to see his rescuer.

It was Nime, smiling from the top of a Salamander she stole, offering him a lift up. Vanak gladly accepted.

But even at the top of the Rahi, it was blatantly obvious that they had to get out, fast. The Matoran had found weapons somewhere, and were approaching even faster than before. Kapura was losing his fight and Kazi had to defend the elevator from at least five attackers. He had a better weapon, but he was outnumbered. Taipu knew that they couldn't see him, and used the time to get up to a ledge at the top of the archive. He hid in a convenient shadow, and started to consider jumping in to help Kazi out at the elevator. But then he got a better idea.

It was when Nime freed Kapura, by navigating the reptile in his direction. The Salamander was stubborn and wasn't used to Nime's lead, but through a series of kicks and shouts she managed to get him over to Kapura. Both Vanak and Taipu stared in disbelief when she crushed Kapura's attacker with the reptile's giant foot, the same way as she disposed of the Po-Matoran.

But before, that Matoran was just unconscious. This one got severely hurt. He screamed in agony as his bones cracked apart, louder than anything in the vault. The others started shaking, but the Salamanders freaked out. They darted off to random directions, not minding objects that they wrecked along the way. Nime's Salamander launched himself forward so quickly that Nime and Vanak had to jump off because of lost balance.

That was the answer to Taipu's question. He started climbing along the ceiling, heading towards a black speaker box hanging in the centre. He wasn't a very good climber, but the cable hanging from the ceiling made him good handles.

The Salamanders hated high pitched sounds. This is why they were a bit disturbed when somebody was screaming, but Taipu didn't notice until the Le-Matoran had been crushed. So his plan was to fiddle with the speakers, so that they would get bugged and produce the static, high-pitched discord.

He closed his eyes as he began to disassemble the black speaker box, trying not to look down during the process. He was practically deaf by the time, with insane Matoran roaring in their mad language, Salamanders slamming into walls and objects being destroyed.

Click. The box opened.

Whoosh. A Salamander flew by, missing Taipu by inches.

Crack. Something happened.

Knock. The box was doing something.

Slit. One of the cables came off.

Roar. Somebody shouted.

Click.

Crack.

Knock.

Knock.

Slit.

Knock.

Prrshhh. _Prrshhh? What was that?_

Knock knock.

Thud. Taipu found himself two cables that he could connect, perhaps creating the sound he desired.

Slip. He fell.

Grab.

Bzzzt.

To his surprise, it really did work. Taipu was barely holding on to the speakers, but he managed to connect the cables and a high pitch sound came out.

If the Salamanders caused havoc before, they changed into a chaotic mass of destruction, flattening their own Matoran riders and nearly even Taipu's friends, had they not avoided it. They saw Taipu and realised what he had done.

The battle was over.

Kamen's Matoran squad didn't care about attacking them any more – they had to run for their bare lives. Nearly all of them have already fallen off their mounts. Kazi had secured his position at the elevator; the others have reached it too. Just Taipu was left out.

So he jumped.

It wasn't a very sensible thing to do, he could've easily hurt himself - the ceiling was pretty high. He hit a Salamander along the way and was deflected to the wrong side of the vault.

For a third time that day, he was lucky.

He fell into hay.

It was stored in the archive as for Rahi to lie on if they wanted, but Kamen's team shove it aside for practical reasons. Taipu considered it very practical and thanked Mata Nui for his luck, as he hurried to the elevator.

Taipu reached it, panting. Kamen's Matoran realised that they were just about to escape.

They boarded the elevator. Kazi clicked the "up" button. Doors slammed behind them.

They were off.

Kazi nodded. Kapura observed the buttons on the elevator panel, after whispering 'yes' to himself. Nime smiled and finished her cigar, throwing it to the floor.

They made it out of the archive.


End file.
